Labyrinth by Ravensburger is a game racing for treasure in a moving maze and available in Original, Junior and Star Wars. This is a really good problem solving game which tests your spatial awareness as you shift the pathways along finding the best solution to help you reach the destination you require for that turn.

How to play Labyrinth

The game of Labyrinth is simple to understand but more challenging to play as you weave your way around the Labyrinth maze searching for objects – but all the while the maze keeps changing!

Setting up Labyrinth

You simply have a board that has fixed pieces/places; the four “home” corners (with circles of each of the players’ colours) plus another twelve places with pictures of different magical objects/characters. This is the only thing that remains consistent throughout the game.

The rest of the board is made up of 34 moving maze pieces – each with different paths and walls on drawn on them; some also have more objects/characters to collect drawn on them too. Initially these pieces need popping out of a big sheet of cardboard but then are just stored in little square holes in the box. The pieces need to be shuffled (they are quiet chunky and it is best to do this in small parts unless you have really big hands!) then, without looking, placed in the spaces on the board in order that they are turned over. There should then be one maze piece left over. This means that a random maze is generated so no two games are the same. Next the 24 object cards are shuffled and dealt equally among the players (2 players = 12 cards each; 3 players = 8 cards each; 4 players = 6 cards each). These are then kept faced down until the start of the player’s turn (with a new one only being uncovered on the next turn after the last object/character has been reached). Although to make it easier for younger children they can look at their cards and decide which one they will chose as their goal for each turn.

Each player starts at their corresponding coloured start square. The youngest player goes first by turning over their object card without showing other players. They then have to MOVE THE MAZE by placing the left over maze playing piece and insert it into any of the rows with yellow arrows. The idea is to guide the playing piece along the maze without hitting any walls – to reach the matching picture on their object card. Even if the player can reach the object without moving the maze they HAVE TO move the maze first. This can be either to help reach a goal, to not affect the path to the goal or to make it harder for an opponent to move. The maze cannot be pushed back at the same place that the previous player has just pushed out (they can be pushed in the same direction on that row). If there is a playing piece on the edge that is being pushed off the board then they are placed on the opposite side on that equivalent row (this does not count as a turn for that playing piece). If the player is unable to reach their object goal they do not have to move their playing piece but they can move it closer or in a strategic place for a later turn. Players do not move on to a new goal until they have reached their last one. The winner is the first player to reach all of their goals and get back to their starting point (or just their goals if they are younger players).

Thoughts on Labyrinth

We reviewed the original version of Labyrinth and I think it is a really good game for our 9 year old son. The game is recommended for ages 7-99 years and there was no rules either way about whether you could push the maze and then discover that didn’t work so try pushing it a different way. I think to make it harder there should be a rule that once you start pushing the maze that is it, and it cannot be corrected. In saying that it would have made it really hard for me as I struggled to visualise in my head what would be the impact to all the other spaces. The 9 year old, however, had no such problem! I think it is a great way to introduce visual problem solving and strategy skills which will come in handy for his Grammar school entry test. We took Labyrinth with us camping as we started to celebrate National Unplugging Day on Sunday June 25th 2017. This is a day to #gogadgetfree and spend time with family. We found that the Labyrinth game was great for any bouts of boredom! It is easy to set up and has no small parts that could be easily lost. It is a fun game and due to its nature different every time it is played.

ONE LUCKY PINKODDY READER HAS A CHANCE TO WIN A COPY OF LABYRINTH.

Just answer the question in 10 words or more and enter the Rafflecopter.

Q: Who would play Labyrinth – who would be good at it, who would find it difficult and who would be most likely to win?

Share this:

102 Comments

Tracy NixonJun 19, 2017 @ 13:39:32

My 2 boys and 2 girls would play Labyrinth! My 2 boys would definately be good at it as they play these tyes of ‘strategy’ games regularly! My youngest daughter and probably me would find it difficult! One of my boys would be likely win!

Me, my husband and our two boys would play. I’d probably find it difficult as I’m terrible at remembering rules to games, my husband would be good at it, he’s the sort to read every last word in the rule book, twice haha and my son would most likely win, he rarely loses at anything

I have already got this and the children are excellent at it. I would like a copy for my son. Both myself and my husband play it with the 2 girls and our 12 year old wins most games, nobody finds it difficult

I would play with my family. I would be good at it because I am competitive, my Mum would find it difficult because she is ditzy but my step sister would probably win because she has patience and is a good problem solver.

we like a board game in our house, i play with my 24yr old son, 19yr old daughter and 8 yr old daughter. you might think the 8 yr old loses a lot, but she is pretty good! we played settlers of catan recently and i thought the instructions were too advanced for her…. she won spectacularly!

I would play with my husband and sons, I think myself and my middle child would be good at it with my middle child winning, my husband would be no good but would try all the same, and if he is losing, my youngest will stop playing lol

Do love board games at our house and now my niece and nephew are old enough to play without having constant supervision with it. My niece would probably do better as she is a bit older than my nephew although she tends to cheat so we have to keep an eye out on that. Don’t think I would be very good as the first few times I tend to forget what I am doing lol. My nephew will probably enjoy it until he realises he won’t win every time and then he’ll get a bit mad and give up.

I suspect we would play this as a family on a wet afternoon! I’d find it easy and get frustrated that the rest are taking too long. I suspect my wife would find it hard and my son would win as he always seems to somehow!

I would play with my partner and my friends. I think my partner would be good at it as he is very strategical. I think I would definitely find it difficult and I think we would all have a good chance of winning,

Share this:

This is an endorsed partnered post. Temptation lurks around every corner the moment December hits. The radio becomes full of Slade one hit wonders, Shakin’ Stevens is regaling you about how the snow is falling all around him, and John Lennon is telling you optimistically that war is over once again. Mince pies are springing(…)

Share this:

This is an endorsed partnered post. Something many people struggle with, is getting into the health and fitness habit and sticking to it in the long term. It’s important that you make this a lifestyle rather than just a quick fix, as so many people make this mistake. If you see health and fitness as(…)

Share this:

This is an endorsed partnered post. Our brain is a vital part of our body. It is the thing which controls how we move, speak, feel and who we are as a person. The brain is an organ which seems to be often neglected by people when they work on their bodies, and today we(…)

Share this:

It is all very well to start a new challenge or goal but sticking at it and staying motivated is a completely different matter. Most of the time we really have to use our will power as we would much rather be doing something else. Here are some tips I have picked up along the(…)

Share this:

Whether you love them or hate them New Year’s is a time when people make Resolutions. The start of a new beginning and many are too ambitious and do not last the week. I believe that small steps can make a big difference at the end of the year as long as you remain realistic.(…)